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Madagascan Flatid Leaf Bug

uncommon

Madagascan Flatid Leaf Bug

Flatida rosea

Habitat
Tropical dry forests of Madagascar
Body length
15 mm
Order
Hemiptera · Flatidae

Weird but real

Adults cluster and align their rose-pink wings so the whole colony masquerades as a flower spike.

Why it's cool

One tiny planthopper is a pink leaf; a whole gathering becomes a blossom assembled from living insects.

Photographs

Flatid leaf bugs (Flatida rosea) and their nymphs, Ankarana Reserve, Madagascar. The nymphs (the white ones) produce waxy excretions. They help disguise the nymphs which are not harmed if a predator takes a bite.
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Ankarafantsika National Park, MADAGASCAR Scanned Slide from November 1999
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source